


Rhea's ship, aka: Innocence - get thee hence!

by GreatMarta



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: F/M, bog burglars - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-01
Updated: 2015-04-01
Packaged: 2018-03-20 18:48:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3661146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreatMarta/pseuds/GreatMarta
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Candidate for a Bog Burglar sets out with some friends to undergo her rite of passage. Features Camicazi and a few OCs. Vague mentions of Hiccami. A description of Bog Burglar lifestyle, heavily inspired by the number one promoter of the Bog Burglar love known as Avannak. Do not expect much actual action.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rhea's ship, aka: Innocence - get thee hence!

**Author's Note:**

> This story recognizes the two movies as canon. Belongs to the Maximum Tragedy verse, but may also belong to the Medium Tragedy verse. Hiccup would be 24. 
> 
> All I know about Bog Burglars I owe to Avannak.

Diarrhea the Dirty doubted this cruise could get more depressing than it already was. Stealing sip after sip from her bottle, she observed her crew, and each glance assured her that she was right.

Her son Dragon – a 16-year-old mountain of muscles and boiling blood – was leaning against the mast, his enormous body bound with anger and frustration. Normally, he was Rhea’s sole companion on her voyages, and the ship they used was as much his as hers. However, whenever they happened to be sharing their space with the Bog Burglars – like they did tonight – he was instantly reduced to the role of a deckhand. These women – not much older than him – showed him little to no respect, expressed their superiority with every word and gesture, and he was supposed to endure it in silence. Rhea knew how much it pained him, especially since he seemed to be attracted to one of the Bogs. The worst possible Bog he could be attracted to – the heiress of the tribe.

Camicazi, the future chief of the Bog Burglars, was glancing dreamily into the horizon, playfully thumbing through the wild mass of her wonderfully blond hair. The young woman could most accurately be compared to a rare, exotic plant – one you could admire from afar, but should never touch – unless you’re in a hurry to Valhalla. These tantalizing curves and beautiful face came in package with a quick wit, skillful hands, and enough guts to fill an army. Camicazi could swordfight while eating a sandwich, and did so without breaking a sweat. She was by all means the model future chief, in all aspects but one – the only child she’s borne till this day was male.

Next to Camicazi stood Avalanche – a friend of hers with whom she was often partnered on missions, due to them supplementing each other well. Appearance-wise, Avalanche was a typical Bog Burglar – big, with broad hips and shoulders, combining impressive breasts and a noticeable belly with beautifully shaped biceps and powerful hands. The upper limbs, combined with a sure eye, were her greatest forte. Whatever she threw – be it knives, stones, or chairs – always landed exactly where she meant them to. In particular, she enjoyed knocking out people and objects directed at Camicazi, before they came within the range of the heiress's blade. Not that the blonde girl needed protection, but her the chief felt better knowing her daughter has such a companion by her side.

Finally, there was Raina – the fragile thing who spent most of the cruise leaning against the edge of the board, suffering from a particularly strong sea sickness. She has by now lost all the colors from her face, had trouble standing straight, and looked as if a Scauldron swallowed her and regurgitated.

This very girl was the key figure of tonight’s mission.

Raina was not a Bog Burglar by birth – which was painfully obvious. She was a farmer’s daughter, and her education had mostly covered traditional women’s labors. Since her mother had died when she was still very young, her father relied on housekeepers to run the household. Rhea had been one of those, which was how they met. She ended up developing a close bond with Raina, and consequently arranged for the girl to be accepted into the Bog Burglar tribe upon her father’s death. The tribe needed household help as much as they needed warriors, and joining them seemed less scary than marrying a distant cousin. Raina let him have the farm, but was not about to let him have her. Thus, under Rhea’s protection, she applied for the membership of the all-female tribe. So far things have been going good, but one obstacle remained – the Rite of Passage.

In the Bog society you were considered a child until you have seduced a man. A random man chosen by your assigned guardian – a role typically fulfilled by a family member or a family friend. This was done to permanently eradicate the notion of romantic love and teach a girl that men were nothing more than mean to an end. Those were the ideas the Bog Burglars could never stress enough. The principles Raina would be expected to follow.

Since the young virgin was only a candidate for Bog, and not an actual tribe member’s daughter, she was not granted a whole crew for her mission, nor a proper tribal ship. Instead, she was delegated to Rhea – a travelling housekeeper who just happened to have her own ship and be the girl’s trusted friend. Both ladies were rather content with the arrangement.

The choice of guardians for Raina on behalf of the tribe was also pretty fortunate, since Rhea happened to be familiar with the two of them. Camicazi and Avalanche were rather young for the job, but their status, combined with Raina’s lack of status, made it okay. If nothing else, guarding her would give them some experience. And possibly a good laugh.

In general, the two young Bogs were rather supportive of their protégée. Pat her back as she threw up, cracked jokes, and assured her it’s not that big of a deal.

“It hurts a little, but it’s bearable” – said Avalanche. – “Kinda like taking a bitter medicine or cauterizing a wound. You gotta suck it up and that’s it”

“Close your eyes and think of the future” – advised Camicazi. – “It’s just a few minutes, maybe less than one minute of pain, and then you will be free to do as you please. Certainly a better alternative than a life-long servitude under somebody you cannot stand, right?”

Raina regarded them with uncertainty, nodding from time to time, resigned like a lamb lead to the slaughter. She already hated herself for the deed she would be committing soon. Thinking about it made her want to vomit. But do it she shall. Because she trusted Rhea and believed the older woman when she assured it was for the best.

Oh yes, Rhea knew. She knew pain, hard labor, despair and what not. A travelling cleaner she may have been, a mere housekeeper for hire, but her independence and determination had earned her quite a recognition among the Bog Burglars. At the end of the day, she held a unique position – she was among them, but not one of them. Thus the young women confided in her the way they couldn’t in their own mothers and aunts. So she knew that Camicazi and Avalanche were not being entirely truthful.

Avalanche, along with her older brother, were the result of a mating agreement between a Bog Burglar naval commander and a high ranking Hairy Hooligan warrior. The parents stayed in touch, always eager to brag about their children and see them compete. Avalanche took pride in being her father’s “badge of honor” and coveted his praise. The brother she seemingly hated, but cared about deeply. All that ended after her rite of passage. The experience had been “bitterly disappointing” and had permanently deprived her of whatever respect she might have had for the opposite gender. If she ever visited her father’s village, it was to seduce men left and right, and then rob them off anything she could carry. Alternatively to recruit young girl into the Bog Burglar tribe. Either way, along with her virginity, she had lost a part of herself.

Still, she was probably better off than Camicazi. The Bog heiress, upon bedding the man that was chosen for her, had flown to her close friend and spent the remaining of the night crying into his shoulder. He likely ended up comforting her in a more personal manner, but Rhea did not press Camicazi for details. She knew how it was like, to want somebody she was not supposed to want.

Sadly, Bog Burglars were not supposed to become attached to men, ever. Physical features, bloodline, fame, status, those were the criteria for choosing a breeding partner, not personal feelings. Camicazi understood what was expected of her and accepted it. She did take pride in her heritage and culture. Yet, at the same time, she had a very special friend in her life, who just so happened to be an heir of another tribe. She might even have loved him, though she could never admit it to anybody, not even herself. But she was determined to keep him in her life somehow, even after their respective duties forced them to part ways.

And so she had asked Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, the Hope and Heir of the Hairy Hooligan Tribe, to provide her with an heir. Much to her mother’s displeasure. And Rhea’s misfortune.

Hiccup, being an honest man, could not have fulfilled Camicazi’s request without a prior consent of his then fiancée – later wife. Astrid respected Camicazi and the Bog culture enough to allow the heiress one night with her man – but not unconditionally. She had her pride, and no intention of letting another woman’s child usurp her own offspring’s place. Camicazi had swear she would keep the child out of Hiccup and Astrid’s life, regardless of its gender. Desperate she was, so swear she did. And ended up with a son she was not allowed to keep, neither allowed to entrust to his father. And so, overpowered by the desire to keep her son in her life somehow, she turned to Rhea – not a Bog, but a frequent visitor to the Bog Isles, and a trusted friend of the tribe. Also, more importantly, a former Hairy Hooligan.

“You used to be close to Hiccup when he was a boy” – Camicazi had said. – “Will you please look after the son, the way you did after the father?”

Back then, Rhea had died a little inside. Yes, she used to work all over Berk as housekeeper. Yes, the chief’s son had been particularly fond of her. It was Hiccup who had made her the eye-patch she wore to this day. The picture of the eye on it was wearing out, but it still reminded Rhea what a kind boy Hiccup had been. And how deeply she must have hurt him when she left.

Still, even if he cursed her name and hated her guts, she was certain she had done the right thing. She’d rather be remembered as an egoistic pig who cut all ties with her tribe to search for gods know what in the big world, and probably sunk in her first storm, than a stupid lass who tried to improve her life by porking with the big guys and ended up with a child out of wedlock.

Perhaps Rhea should have let Stoick raise their son. If she had, she would have been able to join the Bog Burglars. Alas, she had been so bitter with the chief. He had loved the memory of his crazy wife more than he did a real woman by his side. So Rhea decided never to let him know he had another son.

It was hard, being a single mother, but she managed somehow. As she aged, however, she begun to long for the day Dragon became independent. He would take the ship and continue to look for odd jobs all over the Archipelago. In the meantime, she would be able to settle down on the Bog Isles for the much needed retirement. She had really been looking forward to it.

But Camicazi has asked her to raise Hiccup’s son. And her conscience did not let her refuse. For all the pain she had caused Hiccup, for robbing him off his brother, she owed him at least this much.

Foenix – as Camicazi had named him – was currently 3 years old and napping in the lower deck. He called Rhea “anti-gamma” (“auntie-grandma”), Dragon “an-kill” (“uncle”) and Camicazi “Lady Mama”. They were all very fond of him and glad to see him develop properly. In this respect, at least, they had nothing to worry about.

Although, to be entirely truthful, Rhea had recently begun to suspect her son might be trying to use Foenix to get closer to Camicazi. She still needed a daughter to carry on in her place, and being her son’s father figure could possibly earn him some favors. Everything would stay in the family.

On her behalf, Rhea sincerely hoped her son would get over this silly crush and find himself a proper wife. But then, there was no getting through him now that his common sense was dominated by primitive urges. She’ll have to wait till he maturates. And pray it happens sooner rather than later, or else there may be problems.

In the meantime, Rhea would focus on the child she could do something for. The one who needed to hear that she was doing the right thing. Who needed to be constantly encouraged and comforted. Who trusted Rhea with her life. And protect said life Rhea shall. Protect from doubts and self-imposed limitations. Let the poor thing believe one can simply cast all their feelings aside and do what has to be done. Keep pushing her in the one right direction. Make sure she gets to live a quiet, peaceful life she so longs for, finding harmony in managing the female warriors’ households and enjoying their protection. This is the kind of life Rhea wishes for Raina. The goal she is bent on putting into reality. Even if she will have to kill her young protégée’s innocence along the way.

**Author's Note:**

> I did not say it directly, but Avalanche is Snotlout's sister ^_^


End file.
